We only spent a week in Warsaw but it was such a busy week that I am going to have to break this week into two different posts. This post will focus on our time at Letchworth State Park and our visit to Niagara Falls. Later this week, I will be posting about the rest of our time in Warsaw and the Buffalo, NY area including the Buffalo Zoo and the Martin House.
On Saturday June 3rd, we moved from Butler, PA to a small town called in Western New York called Warsaw. Warsaw is located about 45 minutes outside of Buffalo and surrounded by beautiful fields and rolling hills. The campground is on the outskirts of Warsaw just barely inside the city limits. We arrived at Dream Lake Campground around 4pm and were greeted and checked in by the sweetest lady. In fact, everyone we talked to here was amazing and very helpful. The campground is quiet and has plenty of shade, a lake for swimming, canoe rentals, a general store, and a snack bar that is open on the weekends. They also have weekend activities for campers- they were setting up a slip and slide by the pond when we pulled in.
After setting up the campsite and getting the house level, we drove into Warsaw to grab a bite to eat and explore a little bit. We settled on dinner at Laurie’s Restaurant, which was very well rated on Yelp and conveniently located right on the main strip of town. Everything on the menu sounded delicious but we both decided on the Beef-on-Weck, which is thin sliced roast beef served on a nice quality bun and topped with horseradish. Apparently this is a local specialty and we had it a few times this week – both at Laurie’s and at the Silverlake Family Restaurant later in the week (along with a cheeseburger). On the way home after dinner, we also stopped by Yummie Made Ice Cream for a sundae and a Pup Cup for Harley.
On Sunday, we drove to Letchworth State Park’s south entrance in Portageville, about 30 minutes away. On the advice of a local at our campground, we drove past the park entrance, across a bridge and pulled into a gravel lot on the side of the road. We took the trail from the parking area along the Genesee River about a mile and a half through peaceful woods and beautiful fields. The first part of the trek was very hilly on a very narrow trail and was a little bit challenging but we eventually came out onto a fairly flat, gravel path through the woods. It eventually came out under a train trestle and from there we could hear the roar of the water fall. We followed the sound down the trail, catching little glimpses of the waterfall here and there through the trees until we finally found a cleared section overlooking the falls and spent some time admiring the view.
Because there was no one else around (we only saw one other person on the same trail the entire time we were out there) we let Harley run free off leash and she was absolutely in heaven. After a while, we headed back up the same trail and back to the car. We did take a short side trail down to the banks of the river upstream from the falls and we let Harley play in the water while we caught our breath.
From there, we drove back to the Portageville entrance to Letchworth State Park and followed the signs to the Upper Falls. These were the same falls we had seen from the first trail but this time we were on the other side of the river. There was an overlook area under the train trestle where we stopped and walked around for a few minutes.
Our next stop was the base of the falls. There was a parking area just a short walk from the falls. There was also a snack bar, souvenir shop, playground, restrooms and a picnic area. We got an order of chicken fingers and fries and ate them from a bench looking out at the falls. The view of the falls was beautiful. The first trail had us above the falls on a hillside but this vantage point was below the falls with the cascades in the background. It was a fairly busy area but not overcrowded. We were a little surprised when Harley jumped right up on the rock wall and laid down but, of course, this put her at the best height for getting pets from passersby so she was quite happy.
We left the Upper Falls and drove to the parking area for the Middle Falls. Again, the parking area was close to the falls. This location had viewing at the top of the falls and the walkway formed a crescent from above the falls extending around to an area opposite the waterfall. As with the first set of falls, the view was incredible from just about every vantage point.
We also pulled off at the parking spot for Inspiration Point, which looks out over the river with the Middle and Upper Falls in the background.
The path from the parking area to the lookout was a short, paved trail through a wooded area with a pond in the middle. The pond was surrounded by a low stone wall and the water was very swampy and full of frogs. John had gone ahead to see the view and Harley and I were standing at the edge of the pond. I was fiddling with the camera and getting ready to take a picture of a frog when Harley decided to jump up on the rock wall. She had been doing this all day so I was aware of it happening but wasn’t too concerned. And then she walked right off the edge of the wall and splashed down into the pond. Because it was surrounded by the rock wall, there wasn’t really anywhere that she could get out once she fell in so I had to yell for John who came running and hoisted her up by her leash and harness. She was very wet and very stinky and made the back of the car smell like a dirty aquarium for the entire rest of the day.
We had come this far so we decided to head to the Lower Falls – but it wasn’t as easy to get to. The parking area was a bit further away and eventually we came to a split in the trail – over 100 stairs going down to the falls or straight ahead for an easier path overlooking the falls but with not as great a view. Harley and I both have some arthritis issues so we decided to take the easy path. John headed down the stairs to the base of the falls. Harley and I went ahead a little ways and were able to see a very obstructed view of the falls. We eventually turned back and waited at the top of the stairs for John.
John made it down the stairs but the view of the falls still wasn’t great. There was an old bridge that had been built over the water that he really enjoyed but, when he finally came trudging up the stairs to meet back up with us, he said that the view wasn’t really worth the work.
By this point, we were both exhausted but weren’t quite ready to head home so we drove the main road going the entire length of the park. We pulled off a few times for various overlook spots and stopped at the dam as well before heading back home.
We have visited several waterfalls in our travels but this park was definitely one of the better places we have been. The first two sets of falls are very accessible and there are restrooms and snack stands that are very conveniently located. We absolutely recommend visiting if you have the chance!
On Wednesday night after John got off work, we made a last minute decision to drive the hour and 15 minutes to Niagara Falls. We had taken our first big trip together there all the way back in 2006 and had stayed on the Canadian side for a week. We didn’t have our passports this time so we thought this would be a good opportunity to stay on the US side and see the sights from there.
Our first stop was at the rapids that are upstream from the falls. We couldn’t believe how fast the current was moving! It was also surprising that there was absolutely nothing to keep people from falling in. We have been to a lot of state parks and there is usually some sort of barrier between the trails and water. We walked along the river for a while then got back in the car to drive to the falls.
Because it was after 6pm, we didn’t have to pay for parking so we were able to visit a few different observation areas for free! Our first stop was the American Falls. We were too late to ride the Maid of the Mist or go out on the Observation Deck but we enjoyed looking out over the water.
From there, we drove over to Goat Island to Terrapin Point to view the Horseshoe Falls. While the view of these falls is so much better from the Canadian side, it was still very pretty and we had a good time.
We also made a pitstop on the way home. I went back and forth about including this in the blog but I ultimately decided that, while we do share this for others to read, this is a record for us to remember our travels. As it turns out, Marijuana is legal for recreational use in New York state and most of New England and we found a dispensary along the drive home. We stopped in for a visit and met some of the nicest people on Earth. They talked with us about how they got started and how they make and test their products. We ended up buying some gummy worms and a chocolate bar. Even the small amount that we bought is probably more than I will ever use in my lifetime ( I take a super small amount every once in a while to help me sleep when my knee pain is too much for me) but it felt good to support a small business and the two owners were just so incredibly sweet.
While writing this, I was trying to think back through our travels and this may be the record holder for “week containing the most waterfall visits”. We visit a lot of falls but this week got us two falls at Niagara and three at Letchworth. And if this wasn’t enough to exhaust us, we also threw in a visit to a Frank Lloyd Wright designed home and the Buffalo Zoo. Be sure to catch the next post later this week for those adventures!
